Funding outcome

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Symptom (POTS) is a condition that affects approximately 50,000 people in Canada, often beginning in early adolescence, and affects more females than males. Patients with POTS are often unable to stand for long periods due to excessive heart rate increases, dizziness, and overall fatigue. Children severely affected by POTS have a reduced quality of life due to their inability to attend school or enjoy extracurricular activities. Interventions in the form of lifestyle changes (for example increased water and salt intake) and drug therapies have shown variable effectiveness. Exercise as an intervention however has consistently been shown to be effective and often leads to patients becoming symptom free. Research studies of exercise as an intervention have mostly been conducted in adult populations and up to 60% of participants are unable to complete the exercise program. One of the factors that may limit participation in the exercise program is the requirement for expensive equipment such as a recumbent bike. The other major limiting factor is the inability to customize the program for individuals based on their ability and access to equipment. In this study we will develop a strategy to implement exercise as an intervention for POTS that is based on principles like (1) personalized programs; (2) functional exercise movements that do not require expensive equipment; and (3) the ability to administer the program to those who may not reside in urban settings. In this study, we will develop the program from the perspective of parents and patients with POTS; the expertise of clinicians and rehabilitation specialists who currently care for children with POTS; and build on the experience from collaborators who have developed similar programs in other domains. An initial visist will provide the children with exercise instructions, after a month they will return and provide feedback on how the exercise program went and how it could be improved. As well, to measure the quality of the outcomes, children will submit videos of themselves performing a subset of the exercises. The goal of this study is to develop a functional movement exercise program that will be well tolerated and customizable to kids varying abilities, making it a viable long term treatment for the future. The study is also a first step in administering an exercise program remotely so participants can perform it at home, allowing for broad participation, particularly for those without readily available clinical resources.